


The Perfect Match

by IceboundEmu



Category: LoveLink (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternative MC, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 17:53:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29139579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IceboundEmu/pseuds/IceboundEmu
Summary: MC had given up on dating after having her Son.Hell, she'd only signed up to Lovelink to talk to another Adult, conversation with a two-year-old isn't all its cracked up to be.Cue the nightmare of dating in the modern world, all played out via a dating app.Until some expresses and interest in her for a change.
Relationships: Albert Bishop/MC
Comments: 1
Kudos: 18





	The Perfect Match

**Author's Note:**

> My mind works too much, and I started to wonder how an app would work if MC was different from the persona we assume in the app.
> 
> So I gave my MC a child, then unleashed her onto the world of dating to see how I thought she'd get on with the matches.
> 
> Naturally, the ideal match to me took the form of our older soldier boy...

You’d set up your profile on Lovelink on a whim, one Wednesday afternoon, when you’d realised that the only person, you’d had to speak to in two days was Sebastian.

It wasn’t that you didn’t love you son with every fibre of your being, it was just, that as he was only just past his second birthday, he wasn’t the greatest conversationalist yet. Your talks with him were distinctly one sided, and it wasn’t as though you wanted to burden him with your problems, it was something of the opposite if you wanted to believe you were a good mother, you were supposed to protect him from the troubles of the world. At least until he hit eighteen, by which time he’d be old enough to have problems of his own creation to think about.

You’d almost immediately regretted your decision, as a fresh profile being added to the mix seemed to have the same effect as feeding time at the zoo, your inbox was immediately flooded with offers from people “desperate” to make your acquaintance, offers of good times and images you deleted without opening.

Your profile picture, in which you were holding Sebastian in shot, had got a few polite enquiries from people on whether he was a younger sibling, or a nephew. Mentioning he was your own son seemed to scare them off, you’d lost count of the number of times something had appeared to be going somewhere, just for them to mysteriously vanish a few days later, following which you usually found you’d been “unmatched”.

You’d given up trying to match with people, it felt as though a message had gone throughout the community that you came with “baggage” and there were plenty of young, attractive women for you to compare yourself negatively to, most of them appearing to wear as little as possible to show of bodies that hadn’t undergone the rigours of childbirth. Everyone seemed to have stepped directly from the pages of fashion magazines, polished and smelling of roses, you were vaguely aware you probably smelt of plasticine and baby vomit. Your usual attire consisted of comfortable jeans and massive hoodies, rather than the figure-hugging mini dresses or bikinis the others seemed to sport.

It hadn’t been a complete wash-out though. You’d actually managed to make one friend during your time there, a young nurse by the name of Dahlia Vince, who’d revealed she was going through a similar experience to you, as she was looking for a match for herself whilst she was acting as a surrogate for her friends. She was proving to be someone it was great to swap horror stories with of the worst matches you’d come across, when your phone chimed, you’d assumed it was her that had messaged you.

The notification someone had expressed an interest on your profile was enough to pique your interest, you’d swiped open the app and loaded the picture up of your potential match. Studying the profile picture with some interest you guessed he must be in the army, it showed him in combat gear with a couple of helicopters in the background (either that or he was into paintball and photoshop), older than most of the men you’d noticed frequenting the site (that wasn’t actually an issue for you, age was just a number) but he certainly looked attractive to you, blue eyes, chiselled jaw, brown hair. Fearing you were being set up as a joke you hesitated in swiping to agree to the chat he’d suggested, killing time by re-reading his profile. Then, when you couldn’t justify leaving it any longer, you swiped right, hoping that Albert Bishop wouldn’t turn out to be another let-down.

_Hi Gorgeous._

Well, that was a nice opener to receive.

_Hi to you too Handsome._

Where did that come from? You frowned at what you’d just typed, wondering what on earth had possessed you to write it.

_Is that your little boy in the photo with you?_

Well, that was quicker than most people got round to asking. You guessed small talk wasn’t his strong suit.

_Yes. He’s called Sebastian._

You’d expected the notification you’d been unmatched to pop up, but the three dots at the bottom of the screen indicated he was typing another message to you. You braced yourself.

_He’s adorable! How old is he?_

That wasn’t the reaction you were expecting, you read the message several times, expecting the words to warp into something else. When they didn’t change you guessed you should probably respond.

_He just turned two. Walking, but not talking yet._

_I wouldn’t worry about it. My Mom said I didn’t start talking till I was three…_

_Admittedly then she says she couldn’t get me to shut up…so good luck with that._ 😊

_Getting you to shut up?_ 😉

_But we just started talking._ 😊

_LOL. Walked into that one, didn’t I?_

You felt a smile tugging at your lips. Still, you cautioned yourself, it was too early to hope for too much.

_So…Is it insensitive to ask where his dad is in the picture?_

_He wasn’t ready for a child. So, we went our separate ways._

_No hard feelings though._

_What did your parents think?_

_They weren’t ready for me to have a child either._

_There were some harsh words there though_. ☹

_If you hadn’t already guessed, I’m really good at putting my foot in it?_

You chuckled at the attempt at an apology, deciding to allay his fears slightly that he was completely messing this up. This was probably the longest conversation you’d had with someone after revealing Sebastian’s link with you, this was going pretty well in your opinion.

_You can still save it if you avoid asking me how long I was in labour_. 😉

_Well, there goes the next question on the list…_

_What brought you to Lovelink?_

_Honestly? The realisation the only person I was talking to was Sebastian._

_The conversation isn’t the most riveting, but he doesn’t disagree with me._ 😊

_What brought you to the world of online dating?_

_My Squad._

_Jonathan and Ryan threatened to pretend to be me if I didn’t make a profile myself._

_These two are living proof that boys never grow up._

_So, I can say I have my own two grown up kids._

_Didn’t have to go through labour with them, but they cause me enough pain._

_LOL!_

_Do they know you’re writing this?_

_They made me take this picture._

It was followed by a snapshot of three men. Albert was recognisable in the middle, looking extremely put upon, a blue-eyed blonde was draped across his lap, beaming at the camera, a brown-eyed brunette was doing rabbit ears behind Albert in the shot.

_The blonde is Jonathan. The brunette is Ryan._

_You have adorable boys too._

_Flattery will get you everywhere where those two are concerned._

_Use it sparingly._ 😉

A soft wail from the corner of the room drew your attention back to the present, placing your phone down carefully you paced across to the crib in which Sebastian had been napping, lifting him out and checking to see whether he needed a change. Once you’d confirmed it wasn’t a dirty nappy that had woken him you walked back to your phone, still cuddling Sebastian as he fretted in your arms.

_Duly noted._

_I have a very cranky little man at the moment._

_He’s just woken up._

_Aww!!!_

_Ryan’s like that if he gets woken up too._ 😉

_Does he also calm down if you sing incy, wincy spider repeatedly to him?_

_Haven’t tried it, I’ll test it and let you know._

_How many times do you recommend repeating it?_

_He usually starts laughing around the fifth or sixth repetition._

_The record is fifteen times._

Even as you typed it you were aware you were singing it under your breath. Sebastian had snuggled against your chest, eyes already fluttering shut as he started to doze off again. You shifted your position slightly so that his elbow wasn’t digging into your stomach.

_I’ll delegate it then._

_Jonathan can carry a tune, as long as I give him a bucket._

You snorted softly, wondering whether they were reading what you were writing over Albert’s shoulder. 

_So, are they reading this conversation?_

_They were, then they took offence, so now they aren’t talking to me._

_It’s BLISS._

You laughed at that, Sebastian protesting as he was jolted, you murmured apologies into his hair, willing him to settle again so you could continue to enjoy conversation with an adult.

_So, if you hadn’t guessed, I’m currently in the armed forces._

_What do you do when you’re not looking after your son?_

_It’s going to sound strange…_

_I alter clothes for people._

_I also make curtains, tablecloths, napkins_

He didn’t respond immediately, you rushed to fill in the silence.

_It lets me work from home,_

_so I don’t have to worry about leaving Sebastian with strangers._

Three dots at the bottom of the screen showed you he was typing again.

_That sounds pretty clever._

_Do you have many customers?_

_Surprisingly quite a few,_

_Who thought knowing how to use a sewing machine could prove to be so useful?_

Certainly not your mother, who’d only taught you how to sew on the assumption you could use it to make your own curtains to decorate the home your husband would buy for you. Finding yourself alone and heavily pregnant with no job had forced you to consider options outside the box, no one would hire you in your current condition, so you’d instead travelled round laundrettes leaving flyers advertising your skills, once you’d got a few clients word of mouth had done the rest of the work, you had a steady stream of people leaving things with you to be let out, or taken in, you’d eventually branched out to made curtains for other people’s houses. 

You might not get rich doing it, but it provided enough to cover the rent of the bedsit and make sure you could both eat. It also meant you were good at mending your own clothes when needed, and no one could tell you dressed Sebastian in what you could find in thrift stores.

_My Mom for one, made sure me and my brothers knew how to sew._

_Also, what an iron was, how to cook and what a hoover was used for._ 😊

You had to admit you approved of the idea of teaching Sebastian a similar skillset. It was refreshing to know your parent’s views of the traditional gender roles weren’t universally shared.

_You sound like she really made an impression on you._

_With a rolling pin if I acted up._ 😉

_This may seem a little forward…do you mind if we talk again tomorrow?_

_I have to go and run some drills with my reprobates._

_I’d love to._

_I’m sure Sebastian is going to wake up hungry._

_I should make a start on dinner._

_Speak to you soon?_

_I’ll be counting the seconds._

His icon greyed out, indicating he’d dropped offline.

You re-read your farewell to him, the voice of worry in the back of your mind already wondering if it had come across as too desperate. Cursing softly at your own anxiety you forced yourself to close the app, resting the phone face down on the table as you ran the conversation through your mind again. Contrary to what you’d said to him it wouldn’t just be a simple case of starting dinner, considering you were overdue a food shop. You eyed the clock, noting it was nearing the time the supermarket round the corner would start marking down the stock that was nearing its use by date, which meant if you hurried you might be able to grab yourself a bargain.

Sebastian stirred as you secured him in his pushchair, grousing a little at being deprived of your warmth, but settling quickly enough as you tucked a blanket round him to keep the chill at bay. You slipped your phone into your pocket, grabbed your handbag and headed for the door, making sure you grabbed your keys on the way out, locking the door behind you and heading in the direction of the supermarket Grey clouds were gathering on the horizon, you hoped the weather held whilst you were out, an umbrella was impossible to handle with a buggy thrown into the mix.


End file.
